The compound with chemical name N-[2-butyl-3-(4-(3-(dibutylamino) propoxy)benzoyl)-5-benzofuranyl]methanesulfonamide, the international non-proprietary name of which is “dronedarone”, has the following formula (I)
in which “Bu” represents n-butyl.
Dronedarone is a drug that has been marketed for some time for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias.
The known syntheses of dronedarone are very complex and entail introduction of the different functional groups on the benzofuran ring via several steps and purifications, to the detriment of the yields and industrial applicability of said processes.
WO2009/044143 describes a process for the synthesis of dronedarone, which entails reacting 2-butyl-3-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)-5-nitrobenzofuran with a derivative of protected dibutylamine, reducing the nitro group, mesylating and lastly converting the derivative obtained into a salt thereof